I doubt this will catch on, but maybe if there was a separate thread for people to attempt to help TPH, the daily threads wouldn't get nearly as cluttered with TPH back-and-forth. Why people try since they're always ignored, I'll never understand, but please do so here if you must. Obviously if other people might be interested in whatever clarification you're providing, you're welcome to continue doing so in the daily threads.

jeff6286 wrote:Oh good, his name is in the thread title, now he is sure to listen!

"My first thought was that 'TPH' stood for 'TenPoundHammer', but then I figured, no, that's way *too* obvious. That can't be it. So I never bothered to click through."

I appreciated this post.

TPH, if you do read this - I want to help you, I really do. If you want to get better at this game, or learning in general, here are my tips:

1. Stop expecting every clue to hold your hand and lead you to the answer. Sometimes you have to know things to get the right answer.
2. Understand that what is obscure for you is not for everyone. That you didn't know something isn't an indicator that it was overvalued on the board.
3. Did you learn something new? Write it down! It doesn't matter if it's boring. Think of a way to connect it something that isn't. I don't know if you're in college, but you will likely have to learn many things that don't interest you on their face. Finding these connections is an important part of imprinting information onto your brain.
4. Banish the phrase "it could be [literally] anything" from your vocabulary. Post your score, your thoughts on the game, and stop trying to "impress" other posters with how you didn't know something.
5. Challenge yourself. Read a book, or an article about something outside of your comfort zone. You'll probably find yourself learning stuff. This is how I get a lot of science clues right despite being a filthy history major who got B's and C's in high school science classes.
6. BONUS! Gain some cultural awareness. I'm sure you've noticed that it helps to be aware of recent and classic books, movies, and TV shows. Not to mention sports. You won't learn everything - literature is a weakness of mine - but this is stuff that's helpful on the show and in life. Knowing what's going on in the world will open doors for you.

Nothing would make me happier in a Jeopardy context than seeing you improve and learn stuff.

I'd like to expand on a previous suggestion I made; don't just pause for FJ. Pause for regular questions too. Don't unpause until you have a response. As you get practice, you can speed up the metronome.

alietr wrote:I doubt this will catch on, but maybe if there was a separate thread for people to attempt to help TPH, the daily threads wouldn't get nearly as cluttered with TPH back-and-forth. Why people try since they're always ignored, I'll never understand, but please do so here if you must. Obviously if other people might be interested in whatever clarification you're providing, you're welcome to continue doing so in the daily threads.

Volante wrote:I'd like to expand on a previous suggestion I made; don't just pause for FJ. Pause for regular questions too. Don't unpause until you have a response. As you get practice, you can speed up the metronome.

While I agree with that strategy, TPH might not actually have 37 hours free to watch each episode.

Brian

...but the senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity.

If I had 50 cents for every math question I got right, I'd have $6.30 by now.

Volante wrote:I'd like to expand on a previous suggestion I made; don't just pause for FJ. Pause for regular questions too. Don't unpause until you have a response. As you get practice, you can speed up the metronome.

While I agree with that strategy, TPH might not actually have 37 hours free to watch each episode.

Brian

On the plus side for some, after 37 hours his comments would be somewhere in the obscurity of page 4 of the daily thread, instead of right there on page 1.

I personally am entertained by TPH's comments. I imagine to myself that he is just intentionally trying to drive the really serious boardies crazy.

jeff6286 wrote:Oh good, his name is in the thread title, now he is sure to listen!

"My first thought was that 'TPH' stood for 'TenPoundHammer', but then I figured, no, that's way *too* obvious. That can't be it. So I never bothered to click through."

I appreciated this post.

TPH, if you do read this - I want to help you, I really do. If you want to get better at this game, or learning in general, here are my tips:

1. Stop expecting every clue to hold your hand and lead you to the answer. Sometimes you have to know things to get the right answer.
2. Understand that what is obscure for you is not for everyone. That you didn't know something isn't an indicator that it was overvalued on the board.
3. Did you learn something new? Write it down! It doesn't matter if it's boring. Think of a way to connect it something that isn't. I don't know if you're in college, but you will likely have to learn many things that don't interest you on their face. Finding these connections is an important part of imprinting information onto your brain.
4. Banish the phrase "it could be [literally] anything" from your vocabulary. Post your score, your thoughts on the game, and stop trying to "impress" other posters with how you didn't know something.
5. Challenge yourself. Read a book, or an article about something outside of your comfort zone. You'll probably find yourself learning stuff. This is how I get a lot of science clues right despite being a filthy history major who got B's and C's in high school science classes.
6. BONUS! Gain some cultural awareness. I'm sure you've noticed that it helps to be aware of recent and classic books, movies, and TV shows. Not to mention sports. You won't learn everything - literature is a weakness of mine - but this is stuff that's helpful on the show and in life. Knowing what's going on in the world will open doors for you.

Nothing would make me happier in a Jeopardy context than seeing you improve and learn stuff.

What a carefully considered and considerate post! Sadly I don't think he has seen it. TPH, just try this bro! If you really want to learn about these trivia facts, get a copy of Steven J. Ferrill's book, The Cultural Literacy Trivia Guide, 4th Ed. for about ten bucks on Amazon. He still runs a webpage with 15K clues and mouseover flashcard study zones in 62 categories. Pick just ONE category, read all about it, study it upside down and inside out you're turning it (ONJ!), then go to another area. If you read up on just one a week after a year you'll be an insane monster brain, take the test and get on the show, man! Like Eliza Doolittle, I believe you can be trained to become a J-Champion, although perhaps not as photogenic. Go read Pygmalion if you're not trackin' me, brother!